Various diseases and disorders may be treatable with pulmonary medication or any other inhaled substances. For example, obstructive lung disease may cause narrowing of the airways that result in obstructions and a reduction in the volume of air obtained by the patient. In some cases, this narrowing may be the result of a variety of causes such as inflammation of airway walls, contraction of smooth muscle surrounding the airways, and/or excess mucus inside an airway. Relieving this obstruction may enable easier breathing for the patient and a greater volume of fresh air that reaches the alveoli (i.e., air sacs) of the lungs.
For conditions such as these, a patient may benefit from emergency and/or maintenance respiratory therapy through delivery of drug to the airway. This drug delivery and management of pulmonary condition, such as obstructive airway disease, may be achieved through the use of an inhaler device. An inhaler device may be referred to as a metered dose inhaler in some examples. A patient may operate the inhaler device by placing the mouthpiece of the device inside the patient's mouth and inhaling while depressing a canister containing pressurized medication. Depression of the canister opens a metered valve of the canister such that the medication is released into the air flow of the inhalation of the patient.